Warren County approves insurance fee and $1.73 million tanker purchase to bolster volunteer fire service

Warren County Fiscal Court on March 13 approved the second and final reading of Ordinance 2503, creating a license fee on insurance companies to fund a public-safety account for county fire services, and separately authorized a $1,731,156.10 purchase of three 3,000‑gallon tankers to be placed in the county’s volunteer fire system.

The measures follow a county-commissioned review of volunteer fire services and a presentation by County Fire Coordinator Bill Rector, who said rising call volumes, aging apparatus and gaps in daytime staffing are eroding coverage and pushing some areas toward higher ISO ratings that increase homeowners’ insurance costs.

Rector told the court the county now operates as a system of nine fire departments and 24 stations and that last year’s dispatched emergencies totaled 4,666. Using current trends, he said, the county could approach roughly 10,000 calls for service within five years. Rector said the county’s goal with a phased approach is to lower the countywide ISO rating to a 4 and thereby reduce insurance premiums for homeowners. “Our objective with this phased approach will be to get the county wide rating down to a 4,” Rector said.

Richardsville Fire Chief Brian Lee urged the court to approve the ordinance and described heavy daytime call volumes in his district, saying his department has become the busiest in the county. Lee said that of 60 calls Richardsville handled since the last meeting, 32 occurred between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., the hours when volunteer availability is lowest, and urged approval to fund daytime staffing and apparatus improvements.

Diane Stanley, chair of the Alvaton/Alberton Fire Department board, described a 57% increase in calls over five years and said the department’s average number of responders per call is about 2.26—far below national guidance. Stanley described longer response times (an average of 13.65 minutes to first unit arrival over five years, by her calculation) and cited National Fire Protection Association and OSHA staffing guidance to argue for a paid/combination staffing model during critical daytime hours.

A longtime Smiths Grove volunteer chief summarized the history of the county’s volunteer model and said the costs of modern apparatus make the old volunteer-only funding model unsustainable. Several volunteer leaders, including Debbie Ford of Woodburn Fire Department, spoke in favor of the ordinance and the tanker purchase.

The court also heard specifics on the tanker procurement. The purchase approved is three 3,000‑gallon International HV607 tankers through Sourcewell pricing from Atlantic Emergency Solutions for a total of $1,731,156.10; staff said that after discounts and multi-unit pricing this represents about $200,000 in savings from prior estimates and delivery is expected in two to three months.

County leaders traced the current measures to a consultant study procured after an RFP advertised in October 2023. The county awarded a roughly $48,300 contract to Mission CIT, which produced a 182‑page evaluation presented to the fiscal court on May 3, 2024. That review, together with department input, led the court to create a coordinator hiring committee; the court approved hiring Bill Rector on Dec. 5, 2024, and he began work in early January 2025.

Votes at a glance

- Ordinance 2503 (second and final reading) — impose license fee on insurance companies to fund a public-safety account for county fire services. Motion to adopt: Magistrate Aldridge; second: Magistrate McWhorter. Vote: 6 yes, 0 no. Funds designated for public safety only and not to be deposited in the general fund.

- Contract/Award — Atlantic Emergency Solutions, $1,731,156.10 for three 3,000‑gallon tankers (Sourcewell cooperative procurement). Motion: Magistrate Cummings; second: Magistrate Aldridge. Vote: 6 yes, 0 no. Delivery estimate: 2–3 months.

- Other routine approvals (minutes, personnel changes, road work schedule, parks and equipment purchases, SKyPAC annex resolution, 2‑1‑1 report, quarterly financial report, mulch/grapple/tractor attachments, Enterprise Fleet lease, claims): motions carried (roll call) by unanimous or recorded affirmative votes. See actions array below for itemized motions and tallies.

Why it matters

County officials and volunteer chiefs said the combination of more calls, more daytime incidents and aging apparatus threatens response capability and could raise insurance costs for homeowners if ISO ratings worsen. The license-fee mechanism and the tanker purchases are intended to create an ongoing revenue stream and improve water-delivery capacity and response coverage while the county transitions to a combination paid/volunteer staffing model for daytime hours.

What’s next

Officials said the public‑safety fund created by the ordinance will be tracked separately and used for fire-related public-safety expenses only. County staff will finalize placement locations for the new tankers using coverage maps, and leaders said they will continue to pursue grants and other resources to support training, staffing and equipment upgrades.